Hearing this, George's expression instantly filled with panic. Lowering his voice, he whispered with extreme caution, "Of course there are, but those rebels... most of them are gone now."
"You must know of the famous 'Nocturne' unit. They're the kingdom's most terrifying blade—once they set their sights on you, almost no one escapes."
"They say the former nobles..."
He glanced left and right, then drew a finger across his throat.
Olivia couldn't help letting out a cold snort. "A brutal, wicked regime indeed, persecuting dissidents with the cruellest methods. In times like this, its bloody true nature comes to light."
Perhaps it was because of the gold dragon Anhel, or perhaps it was the innate hostility silver dragons held toward red dragons, but Olivia harbored a bias against this country that even she was unaware of.
"Yeah," George echoed in a low voice.
Yet Olivia failed to notice that this timid former serf's breathing had grown ragged, his voice trembled, and cold sweat was beading across his forehead.
With his head down, George's mind raced with countless thoughts, familiar slogans flashing before him.
*Dangling enticing rewards.*
*Concealing identity, acting secretive.*
*Prying for intelligence, deliberately inciting rebellion against the kingdom.*
Wasn't this the textbook enemy spy described in the Kingdom Daily? His thoughts immediately jumped to those dazzling rewards: fifty gold coins, a townhouse in the city center, a precious dragon bloodline potion...
*This is a spy!*
His breathing grew heavier, his heart pounding against his ribs.
In George's eyes, the figure before him was no longer a living person, but a walking pile of gleaming gold coins—a shortcut that could completely transform his destiny!
Growing more agitated by the second, he panted, his gaze turning distant as he began daydreaming about the marvelous life that awaited him once he claimed the bounty.
*I'll find a woman, have a child with her, and the whole family will move into a lovely house in the center of Northwind Keep.*
*Then... then I'll use the gold coins to buy a brand-new shop and sell flowers, making money just sitting there all day.*
*Our child—I'll send him to the best school. A teacher will teach him to read and write, and maybe in the future he'll become a respected scribe, or even one of those high officials who run the city...*
*When that time comes, I'll go visit my old coworkers. They'll look at me with envy and try to flatter me. Howard can be annoying, but he's been good to me; I can give him a chance and hire him to work in my shop...*
Olivia noticed his strange demeanor and asked in confusion,
"Are you alright?"
George jolted out of his pleasant daydream. Trembling all over, he struggled to mask his nervousness as he replied,
"Ah, ah, I'm fine."
"Of course I'm fine."
Olivia merely assumed the human was terrified of the kingdom's might and feared being implicated. How could she have guessed that, in his eyes, she was already a walking pile of gold?
With that in mind, she softly reassured him, "Don't be afraid. None of this has anything to do with you. I only came to ask a few questions, so ease your mind. The evil dragon's lackeys won't find out."
"Phew, that's a relief," George chimed in, wiping the sweat from his brow and feigning immense relief.
Yet inwardly, he gritted his teeth and thought, *I cannot let this chance to change my life slip away!*
Olivia paid no further heed to the human's reaction, feeling only pity for these people who lived in perpetual dread under the red dragon's rule.
She continued, "Are there any surviving rebels, then? Where would they be imprisoned?"
George shook his head repeatedly, forcing himself to sound calm as he answered, "They say the kingdom has an enormous dungeon called 'Talmor.' Anyone who dares oppose the kingdom's order is locked up there or executed.
"But no one knows where the dungeon is. No one has ever escaped from it. Maybe only the high-and-mighty figures know, like Lord Langpu."
"Thank you." Olivia nodded slightly.
The human before her was merely an ordinary laborer with no access to high-level intelligence, and everything he knew was hearsay. Even so, Olivia had gained a basic understanding of this kingdom.
She turned and walked away, disappearing deeper into the alley.
*Anhel, I will find whatever you left behind.*
*Your sacrifice will not be in vain,*
she thought.
Beneath her hood, in those mercury-like blue-white eyes, Olivia's gaze grew increasingly resolute.
This country was not as blatantly evil as she had imagined—at least not on the surface—yet behind it lurked a far more terrifying monster that had already bared its savage claws.
The Kingdom of Cinders was running and expanding at an unprecedented pace. Once that red dragon awoke from its slumber, it might bring an even greater catastrophe upon Anzeta.
The silver dragon needed to gather more information to see through the true face of the red dragon hiding behind the kingdom, so that she could fulfill Anhel's dying wish.
George also turned and walked away with a slight awkwardness.
The poor actor of a laborer walked stiffly at first, so nervous that his arms and legs swung on the same side multiple times. Fortunately, the stranger had long stopped paying attention to him and noticed nothing amiss.
Only after walking a safe distance did George cautiously look back over his shoulder.
*Did... did they leave?*
Seeing that the mysterious figure had finally vanished, he started jogging along the alley, before throwing caution to the wind and breaking into an all-out sprint.
He dashed onto the street and, following the instructions he had heard from the newspaper, pulled aside the bounty notice on the roadside billboard and pressed his palm against the blood-red rune.
Throughout the process, his entire body shook violently. A turbulent mix of fear and excitement flooded George's mind—he was terrified the mysterious spy would discover him and silence him, yet wildly eager to claim the handsome reward.
"I found a spy!" George wheezed.
A faint gleam seemed to flicker across the rune.
Accompanied by the flapping of wings, several bats flew through the air, while rats scurried frantically across the ground.
George's hair stood on end, his heart pounding furiously once more from a primal, instinctive fear of death.
Suddenly, a pale hand came to rest soundlessly on his shoulder. It felt unnaturally cold, like that of a corpse. At the same time, an icy voice spoke from behind him.
"You said... you found what?"
Cold sweat pouring down his face, George turned around stiffly.
The moment he saw what was before him, his pupils dilated and his eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
Standing there was a pale man with delicate features and a slender frame. His pupils were as red as fresh blood, and the slightly exposed tips of his canines were razor-sharp.
He wore a pure black tailcoat beneath a dark red cloak, and pinned to his chest was a blood-red crest of a crossed dagger and violin—this was the legendary "Nocturne," the special unit that prowled only in the shadows, a presence that made everyone in the kingdom tremble.
George swallowed involuntarily, then stammered in response,
"I... I found a spy."
Chapter 241